Campanula plant named ‘PKMh03’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Campanula  plant named ‘PKMh03’, characterized by having compact plant habit; dense and bushy plant form; vigorous growth habit and less need for chemical growth retardation; greater number of flowers per plant, and large upright white flowers.

Latin name of genus and species of the plant claimed: Campanula×haylodgensis hort.

Variety denomination: PKMh03.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Campanula plant, botanically known as Campanula×haylodgensishort, commonly known as Bellflower, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘PKMh03’.

The new Campanula, ‘PKMh03’, is a product of a planned mutant selection and monitoring program conducted by the Inventor, Gert K. Jensen, in Søhus, Denmark. The new Campanula originated from a spontaneous, sport mutation found in 2001 by the Inventor in a production batch of Campanula×haylodgensis ‘Marion Fischer’ (unpatented). The Inventor selected the new Campanula cultivar on the basis of its compact and freely flowering habit. Plants of the new Campanula are more upright, compact, and more freely flowering than plants of ‘Marion Fischer’.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken and propagated at in Søhus, Denmark, has shown that the unique features of this new Campanula are stable and reproduce true to type in many successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar ‘PKMh03’ have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, day length, and fertility level without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘PKMh03’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘PKMh03’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Upright, tall plant habit;     -   2. Dense and bushy plant form, mainly due to more upright, stiff         stems;     -   3. Vigorous growth habit, and less need for chemical growth         retardation;     -   4. Large upright white flowers;     -   5. Greater number of flowers per plant; and     -   6. No need for vernalization.

Side-by-side comparisons between the instant plant and the parental cultivar, ‘Marion Fischer’, were conducted by the Inventor in Stige, Denmark. Plants of ‘PKMh03’ differ from the cultivar ‘Marion Fischer’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of ‘PKMh03’ have large, upright, single, campanulate         flowers.     -   2. Plants of ‘PKMh03’ have shorter internodes, petioles and         leaves and more upright growth than plants of the cultivar         ‘Marion Fischer’.     -   3. Plants of ‘PKMh03’ have shorter flower peduncles than plants         of the cultivar ‘Marion Fischer’.     -   4. Plants of ‘PKMh03’ are shorter and more compact than the         plants of the cultivar ‘Marion Fischer’.     -   5. Plants of ‘PKMh03’ have more flowers per plant and larger         flowers than the plants of the cultivar ‘Marion Fischer’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographic drawings illustrate the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description, which more accurately describe the actual colors of ‘PKMh03’. In the photographic drawings, the instant plant is labelled by its commercial name, ‘White Fairy’.

The first photographic drawing shows a close-up of the side view of a typical potted flowering plant of ‘PKMh03’.

The second photographic drawing shows a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘PKMh03’ compared with parental cultivar ‘Marion Fischer’, as grown in 10.5 cm pots.

The third photographic drawing shows a close-up view of typical flowering racemes of ‘PKMh03’ in comparison with ‘Marion Fischer’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour Chart, 4^(th) edition, where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants were grown under greenhouse conditions. The plants described were about 14 weeks old after cutting, pinched twice, but not retarded, as grown in 10.5 cm pots. For commercial production, some retardation will be required, but less retardation than for parent cultivar ‘Marion Fischer’.

-   Parentage: Mutant of Campanula×haylodgensis cultivar ‘Marion     Fischer’ (unpatented). -   Propagation: -   Type cutting: Terminal vegetative cuttings. -   Time to initiate roots: About 10 to 14 days at 18 to 21 C. in     tunnels in a greenhouse. -   Root description: Fine, well branched. -   Plant description: -   Form: Perennial plant with upright plant habit. Campanulate flowers     in racemes. Freely branching with lateral branches forming at every     node. -   Crop time: After rooting, about 14 weeks are required to produce     finished flowering plants in 10.5 cm pots. -   Plant height (soil level to top of plant plane): About 20 cm. -   Internode length: 7-10 mm. -   Vigor: Vigorous growth rate. -   Foliage description: Basal leaves single, palmate venation. Length:     15-20 mm. Width: 15-20 mm. Shape: Cordate. Apex: Acuminate. Base:     Rounded. Margin: broadly dentate. Texture: smooth, glabrous. Upper     leaves: Lanceolate, sessile. Length: 22 mm. Width: 7 mm. Color:     Young foliage, upper and lower surfaces: RHS 138 A, green. Mature     foliage, upper and lower surfaces: RHS 138 A and RHS 138 B,     respectively. Venation color 138A. -   Petiole: Length: 15-20 mm; Diameter(width): 2 mm; RHS 138 B. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower arrangement and shape.—Upright, single flowers in             racemes; campanulate flowers with small star shaped calyx.         -   Natural flowering season.—Continuous throughout the spring             and summer. Season can be extended by vernalization and long             day treatments.         -   Flower longevity on the plant.—Longevity of individual             flowers is highly dependent on temperature and light             conditions. Flowers persistent.         -   Inflorescence size.—Length: about 17 cm.         -   Flowers.—5, Upright. Length: about 14 mm. Diameter(width):             about 25 mm. Triangular, acute petal lobes: 9 mm long and 9             mm wide. Corolla color: upper and lower surface, whiter than             RHS 155 A.         -   Peduncle.—Strength: moderately strong. Length: about 17 mm.             Diameter: about 0.5 mm. Color: RHS 138 B, light green. -   Reproductive organs:     -   -   Stamen.—5, linear anthers initially fused; RHS 2 D.         -   Pollen.—Average amount; RHS 2 D.         -   Pistil.—1, conspicuously tripartite, length: 10 mm; RHS 4 D.         -   Stigma.—Conspicuously tripartite; RHS 4 D.         -   Style.—Length: 8 mm; RHS 4 D.         -   Ovary.—140 D.         -   Seeds.—5, length: about 2 mm. Diameter: about 1 mm; Texture:             smooth and glabrous; color when immature — 140 D.         -   Fruit.—Capsule type. -   Disease resistance: Good. -   Disease susceptibility: None observed. -   Weather tolerance: Plants of the new Campanula have exhibited good     tolerance to drought, rain, and wind; low temperature resistant to     −15C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Campanula plant named ‘PKMh03’, as illustrated and described herein. 